better received: Polls show that most Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, but numbers have improved since Democrats took control of the Senate and House, which is under the control of Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

WASHINGTON Three months after a power shifting election, a majority of Americans still disapprove of Congress, a sign of public impatience with the new Democratic majority even among party loyalists.

Still, an Associated Press-Ipsos poll conducted this week shows that Congress’ public image has improved slowly but steadily since the November elections when Iraq, corruption and partisan fighting drove congressional approval ratings below those of President Bush.

According to the poll, 65 percent of those surveyed disapprove of the way the president is handling his job, slightly up from his disapproval ratings last month. As for Congress, 58 percent disapproved of the work of lawmakers, a slight decrease from last month and a 14 percentage-point decrease from congressional disapproval last October.

Democrats ran on a message of changing the country’s direction on the war and domestic policies, but Congress is still trying to find its voice on Iraq and legislation at the top of the Democratic agenda has yet to make its way through the Capitol and to the president’s desk.

Even a majority of Democrats, 52 percent, disapprove of the work of Congress, indicating a desire for quicker action from the new Democratic management. Just 39 percent of Democrats approved of Congress, though that rating is a significant improvement from the 9 percent who approved in October.

The modest bounce in congressional approval is similar to that experienced by lawmakers after the 1994 elections that put Republicans in control of Congress.

Before the November 1994 elections, 23 percent approved of Congress, according to the Gallup Poll. Approval for Congress jumped to 33 percent in January, then 38 percent the following month before it stalled. Back then, the House quickly passed a number top Republican priorities only to see most of them die in the Senate.

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